Light Of The World

Reading John 1:1-8

One of the things I enjoy about the back yard is the soft glow of the solar lights in the night. When one arrives home after dark, these lights are a comforting beacon of home. Solar lights work because they charge their batteries through exposure to the light of the sun. Once the sun goes down the lights flicker on and glow. If the day has been cloudy the lights still work, but they may not last as long into the night before they dim. For those of us who live by faith, we gain our power, our reserve for the dark nights if you will, through exposure to the Son. John’s gospel begins with a marvelous description of Jesus, the creator God, the source of life, and that life is the light of humanity. A light that shines into the darkness. John says the darkness has not understood the light. When someone, even someone very religious, has not been in the light of Jesus, they lack the power to understand that light of life. Faith is about relationship with Jesus and out of that relationship comes light. We do not seek the light, we seek the one who is the light! John’s gospel describes John the Baptist as one who “was not the light”, but “came only as a witness to the light.” Like a solar lamp, our goal in faith is to reflect the light of Jesus Christ. Matthew recorded Jesus saying “let your light shine before others, so they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven” (5:16). Our good deeds do not generate light, rather they reveal the presence of Jesus in our lives and His light shines out through us and glorifies the Father.

For the believer then, the practices of our faith: reading the Bible, prayer, worship, fellowship, service, etc., serve not to generate our light, but allow us to draw nearer to Jesus so that the light of His presence is reflected in our lives. When we struggle in faith, it does not mean that Jesus has left us, but it can indicate that we have pulled away from Jesus and our ‘batteries’ have not been charged to last the long dark night. This is where the disciplines of faith can help us and empower us. We may not sense the presence of Jesus, but we press on in/with/for Him. Feelings come and go, just as a dull day can slow down the efficiency of a solar charger, it nevertheless still works. My illustration breaks down if we push it too far in this area, remember Jesus said

“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me,
as the Scripture has said,
streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37-38).

Nevertheless, we too, when we are down, struggling, hurt and wounded can still reflect the light of Christ, can still draw nearer to Him through our faith practices. The key is a sincere heart; seeking Jesus, never giving up on Jesus, trusting Jesus. He said also (Matthew 6:22-23) that the eye is a lamp of the body, if your vision is clear, your whole body will be full of light. If we allow ourselves to be exposed to the things of life that are not of God, it affects the efficiency of our faith and capacity to be empowered and service God through the long night. The best solar chargers actually rotate to take full advantage of the sun, perhaps is our faith is floundering or struggling we need to re-orient our posture towards Jesus, to be in the full light of His presence. That light can reveal some things that are not pretty, but late in life, John clings to the promise of God ‘if we confess our sins He is just and faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every unrighteousness!”
(1John 1:9).

May you, by basking in the Son, have your soul charged to glow with the love of God to those around!